TV News Roundup: Anne Heche Cast in NBC Pilot ‘For God and Country’

In today’s TV news roundup, Anne Heche has been cast in NBC’s military drama pilot “For God and Country,” DGA president Paris Barclay will be honored with the Order of the Golden Sphinx Award, and more.

CASTING

Anne Heche has been cast as the female lead in NBC‘s military drama pilot “For God and Country.” Heche will star opposite Mike Vogel, portraying Patricia, the head of operations for the Defense Intelligence Agency. “For God and Country” is described as “a heart-pounding look” into the complex world of the bravest military heroes who make personal sacrifices, while executing challenging and dangerous missions behind enemy lines.

The Hasty Pudding Institute of 1770 announced Wednesday that Paris Barclay, current president of the Directors Guild of America, will be the 2017 recipient of the Order of the Golden Sphinx award. He will be presented with the award at the annual Order of the Golden Sphinx Gala, to be held at the Diamond Horseshoe at the Paramount Hotel in New York City on April 3. The Order of the Golden Sphinx award is the highest honor bestowed by the Institute, recognizing individuals in the entertainment industry for their extraordinary contributions to the performing arts.

DEALS

In a new deal with Lionsgate, Hulu has acquired the subscription streaming rights to the Starz original series “Black Sails.” All past episodes of the series from previous seasons will become available to stream on Hulu starting Wednesday. Hulu has also secured the rights to the fourth and final season when it becomes available.

Turner is partnering with the American Black Film Festival (ABFF) on a new writing contest designed to discover fresh writing talent from racially diverse backgrounds. Through the ABFF & Turner Writing Contest, writers with no professional television experience are invited to submit pilot scripts for comedy or drama series. One winner chosen from each genre will win a trip to Miami for the 2017 American Black Film Festival, which takes place June 14-18, along with a cash prize and the opportunity to meet with the original programming development teams for Turner’s TBS and TNT.

EXECUTIVE NEWS

Soumya Sriraman has been appointed president of North America for BBC Worldwide and ITV’s forthcoming SVOD service BritBox. Most recently, Sriraman was executive vice president of franchise and digital enterprises at BBC Worldwide North America. In her new role, Sriraman will be responsible for the overall strategy and operation of BritBox.